Is Pee Problem in Portland Reservoir a Crime? DA Must Decide

After a man was caught on surveillance footage peeing into a reservoir in Portland, Ore., he told authorities he thought the uncovered expanse of water was a sewage treatment tank.

Although the relatively tiny quantity of pee poses virtually no health hazard, officials decided to drain the reservoir, because of the yuck factor and/or because of the possibility that a group of five people who were hanging around the reservoir yesterday might have thrown something into the water, reports the Oregonian.

Police didn’t cite the unidentified 21-year-old man who created the pee problem. However, the matter has been referred to the Multnomah County district attorney’s office for possible prosecution. There’s no word yet on whether a criminal case will be pursued.

Federal rules that require reservoirs to be covered also protect drinking water from the possibility of contamination by bird droppings and dead animals, the newspaper notes.